Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 150 text:

A this way. The nearest thing to Parisian fem- inity we had seen in months were dehydrated French fries-or can you imagine? . - - Anyway we were proud of the soldiers and sailors who had worked so magnificently to- gether in the European theatre, a job 610116 so well that General Ike Eisenhower had been led to say: We are here to stay . . . afi- SECOND PALAU But the Bunker Hill had to forget the mes- dames, and forget them quickly. We joined forces of the U. S. Third Fleet, shaking sea- going hands again with Admiral William Bull Halsey, who was going to take us on one of his little trips. It had been a long time since we saw Admiral Santa Claus, and all hands were busy speculating as to where we would go before the famous South Pacific Commander would stop to rest. Our first mission was to lay waste to and support landings in the Palau Islands, a job that began with several hundred bangs early in September. With the clearing-away program well under way, part of our forces steamed west to take part in an epoch-making strike: the return of carrier-based planes to the Philippines after an absence of nearly three years. Mindanao was the target, more specif- ically the town of Davao and its outlying air- fields and installations. On hand for the Palau and Mindanao strikes were the Hon. Artemus L. Gates, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, and his aide, Captain B. W. Wright, USN. These officials had fiown all the way from Washington for an inspection of the latest Navy conquests, and, more specifically, to make a combat cruise aboard an aircraft carrier. The N avy's return to the Philippines was almost disappointing for its primed pilots. Sweeps over Mindanao and its adjacent har- bors, channels and islands netted no air op- position, and the fighters had to content them- selves with strafing land and surface targets. Bombers and torpedo planes soared in behind 1 46 the fighters, picking their targets cautiously from the clear, green-covered countryside and towns. Hangars and buildings in airfield areas were smashed into ruins, while other bombs were dropped among parked aircraft in dispersal areas. Harbors were cleared of sampans and coastwise craft, while a sub- marine and a medium-sized AK were also destroyed. It was almost a perfect day, marred only by the loss of veteran-of-two theatres Lieutenant Art Jones, former Ameri- can pilot in RAF, and his radioman, W. L, Oliver, who were forced to parachute from their burning plane over the target. higib ,W MINDANAO Southern Mindanao was still the target on September 10, and strikes were ordered in to level Davao town. Lieutenant C. W. Smith left the town in the dark by slam- ming home a 1000-pounder on the Davao Power and Light Company, while Lieutenant Red Carmody, Lieutenants Cjgb Jack O'Neil and Bob Horne and Ensign D. M. Blatz tore up commercial buildings over the business area. Everything from the Imperial Council Hall to Saleelv Pool Room was blasted, and retiring planes at sunset reported the city submerged in a pall of thick smoke. On September 12 we were back in the Phil- ippine area, sending strikes into an areaabout 150 miles southwest of Samar Island. Prize packages of enemy shipping were spotted north of Cebu Island, and two strikes WCFC detailed to concentrate on this prey. When the afternoon's work was over two shipS, totalling 14,000 tons, had been sunk, five ships heavily damaged and probably sunk, and five ships damaged, not counting Sam- pans and luggers. The bomb-laden planes labored long and heavily, and the fighter C0111- bat air patrol routed out and shot down tW0 Bettys for lack of something better t0 do- One of our screening destroyers chased d0Wf1 a small craft, and took forty-fourjapanese pris- oners. The captured Nips stared dazedljf 5 .,.g,, -' . sri ri. f

Page 149 text:

plastered heavily, shore installations blown sky high, the town of Takinoura on Ani Jima reduced to rubble, and shipping taking a beating. A convoy found between the Bonins and the Empire by an accompanying force was slowed down by their air power and finished off by the cruisers, as a further thumbed-nose at the Nips. We returned to our home, after that, delightedly reading in the Press News that Tojo's cabinet had been sacked-with no little credit for that action going to our Bonins operation. There wasn't much scuttlebutt as to where we'd go next. The Air Group was feeling the strain of the strenuous combat . . ...i------'M--'M .....------'-- , A 3 .....-'81, 'H -- ,WM--..,, fb ----0-U . ww 1 I., '-A--..,,,i'ft+f :::.-'-.....L1 n pl. , ,i ' -1 bi,-,VV in Y -----Q Qi hx NJ. j?4!,aB1.-vzswliitl W -Z-gli f-lc' qhim ,Gig 5 .f'Vgy,f,ij5 1--l lflg,,w.i3iyllmra'fi '-T-A-1 gliilxri' 'V '11 Shiv-.x my afvffmii-mt f ...,1'. .1. vghfwg x lag, pl! 1, ,i , --- iw, f-lr 11:4 It f .4 ----- ssh 9i'n:.w l'l'f 2f '917:' ---- g-Qi ,'.t.iQN,' f'-w .1 Q ' 'S 2 'fiif 'T-:..' sky +Qi3'iiill'lA.lf ,iff L -i ., M H, , ., X 4' 1 ' 1 :',1-.:,:'::i W' -Pali. if ff ' .gas 111.45ff'1ff1:nf1elf-.fm 'fm - ': WlUf' 'iff ef A--1-. ,-,. ..r.,4-FN -' A' Q '1 A VWifi? A-i-,A-jf-if.,'2f?g.jifQ2Q-:gg-' 4-9' - 'W A .. -'f s' ..- - f N' .s ' -1 f-f-:Ili - -- ..., A A-as-cc. 'M v'e'e--e ..., : , : Q., Ji:-?i1-- f , aagu: G' W . ., - M ' z-fxfr-' A ' rr' ..,Mf51f'1N--:Q.IfT'i A ,B a .ff , if 1 1-2. .aa-T?f:'fFm?:'?w s 'ri-1 '- ' ' U v1'i?f1'A Af MJ 1 img, , ' r., ,, -Y gps Alffp V' ..,,. P ' wifi' . if 'L - schedules it had flown, and the mess deck's hottest dope suggested that the Bunker Hill might be dispensable to the Pacific war long enough for a trip home. It didn't look like it, though, as Rear Admiral Montgomery lowered his Hag and started home, and Rear Admiral G. F. Bogan came aboard within six hours to succeed him. It looked as though there'd be one more operation. August down south is hot enough anytime, but that steam-heated ,base didn't help cool the Bunker Hill's visit. Partly due to the weather and partly due to heavy operations for the past few months, the crew seemed to be turning lotus eaters en masse, inervated and content just to sit in the shade of a TBF wing. LJ' rv' il Y , 'Q gin? .551 ,Q 51 f, 'gf 51 l i I l it .... ELET ' 1' www-.Q V' A :Fix 1' I On August 21 Captain T. P. Jeter received orders to leave the Bunker Hill and to report to the Commander, Battleship Force, Pacific Fleet, where he was to be Chief of Staff. Our new skipper, Captain Marshall R. Greer, Naval aviator of the old school, took over his new command in a simple, but impressive ceremony on the hangar deck. In departing Captain Jeter expressed deeply-felt apprecia- ffl. Q. 'i ' GH, . d7fm..-- rl ...-SVA l , tion for the crew and their work under him, in taking over Captain Greer expressed his pride to be stepping into the life of the Bunker Hill. He quickly won the hearts of the crew when, in his deliberate manner of speaking, he pointed out that loyalty . . ., goes 'down . . . as well as up. A heart-warming feature of the new Captain's beginning came when he announced that he had stopped in Pearl Harbor and visited Admiral Ballentine, who wanted the crew of this ship to know that the Bunker Hill is still my first love . . . Late August. News reports reaching us were devoured hungrily by brothers-in-arms, Pacific Area, who read that American mechan- ized might was delivering death blows to the Nazi beast in France. 'Blood and Guts' . . . new paratroop assaults behind enemy lines . . . cheering throngs sweeping deGaulle's staff car as he drove from one French town to the next. Stories telling of the mademoi- selles entertaining GI Joe were hard to take out

Page 151 text:

about, probably never knowing what a stir they caused among American seamen, who curiously fought for a good look at their enemy specimens. QSEQL PHILIPPINES Gperations the next day continued in the same area, with strikes sent out over Legaspi, Fabrica, Cebu and Alicante. Strong air opposition was encountered by our lighters on their first sweep over the Legaspi and Negros areas. Our fighters and planes from another of our carriers joined up and were busily engaged straiing airfield installations when they discovered that a swarm of Jap Zekes had moved in above them. Lieutenant Cronin, with a three-plane division composed of himself and Lieutenants C gj George Groves and john Vanderhoof were working together, and 'Hoof' discovered that enemy planes were present when Zero bullets began passing through his cockpit. Miraculously unhit, Van- derhoof found that his engine was missing, coughing oil and threatening to conk out on him. Groves turned to cover him, and the two began a flight toward friendly waters. Vanderhoof was forced into the water about four miles offshore, with one Hellcat above him standing between him and sure capture. Groves provided the one-man cover until his gasoline was running low. He then joined the flight back to the ship, which had been radioed for a rescue plane. 'Hoof' pulled out all the survivors' tricks in the bag, spurred considerably by the sight of three Jap patrol boats combing the water for him but encouraged by a pair of Hellcats that were keeping him in sight. For six hours he fought the currents to stay out from shore and relievedly greeted the sight of the rescue plane, escorted by two night fighters. The cruiser pilot made the pick-up without diffi- culty but on retirement a Betty stood in to challenge,making no attempt to run until the Black Chickens, Lieutenant Commander Aur- and and Lieutenant Cjgj Connor, pounced down. The scene was enlivened by the ac- curacy of the Jap tail gunner, who scored scratch hits on both night lighters before Connor finally made the put-out. Over Negros, Fighting Eight was having the Held day that it had sought for so long. The japs fielded some fierce airborne resist- ance, led off by a four-plane group of Oscars attempting a run on the bomber and torpedo planes. Lieutenant Commander Ron Hoel's division put a stop to that, I-Ioel smoking one from a head-on run and his wingman, Jack McGuire, throwing so much lead into another that the pilot parachuted for his life. McGuire then got into a rat-race with a Zeke and literally flew it into the ground. Over in another corner of the arena Lieutenant Cjgj George Kirk set up a kill for his wingman, Lieutenant Cjgj Tommy O'Boyle, then jumped the tail of another Nip fighter, leaded it down with .50 caliber and caused it to crash, and then went on to make his bomb drop. Pulling out, he found himself in the middle of another dog-fight, burned one out of the sky and broke up that party. Lieutenant Lloyd Hein- zen had his division working up a good lather, too, setting the pace by plugging an Oscar while Ensign Czekala exploded a Zeke, Lieu- tenants I-Iobbs and Mendoza tagging a single- ton and a pair, respectively. Czekala, however, had taken some damage to his plane and was forced to bail out, but mounted a life raft dropped to him, and was picked up after five hours of sun bathing. The bomber and torpedo pilots weren't wasting time that morning, either. Lieuten- ant Les Ward spotted an Oscar below him in his dive and smoked it with a few choice bursts, part of a double play that saw Lieu- tenant jack Weber, following Ward, tag the Nip for a kill. Lieutenants Cjgj Pete Evanoff and Tommy Shea, and Ensign Ralph Fierce of the bombers also had similar experiences but could claim no better than probables. Lieutenant Cjgj Ernie Leggett picked up a Zeke in his dive, but couldn't quite reach him with his wing guns, so Lieutenant Cjgj johnny 147